


I Hate Love Songs

by sapphicalexandra



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Background Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, Established Relationship, Fluff, Jalec Valentine's Day Challenge 2018, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Song Lyrics, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-17 07:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13654152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicalexandra/pseuds/sapphicalexandra
Summary: Who cares about Valentine's Day anyway? Jace surely doesn't. Alec...of course he doesn't!





	I Hate Love Songs

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! This is an entirely self-indulgent, fluffy piece, enjoy ;)

Alec woke up with a smile on his face. Extremely unusual, since he was far, _far_ from a morning person. Yet life had been kind of nice to him lately; his work might still be biting him in the ass, but he had _another_ thing biting his ass that balanced everything out more than enough…

Chuckling to himself at that thought, Alec turned around in the bed, hoping to snuggle with his boyfriend before they were supposed to head out. On a day like today, they _especially_ deserved it.

The other side of the bed was empty. Alec frowned while his eyes were still closed, but even more so when he opened them. _Why_ today of all days did Jace have to get up early? Alec could clearly hear rummaging in the kitchen.

Wait a moment, though…what if Jace was about to bring him breakfast in _bed_?

Alec smiled. Yes, that must’ve been it. He just needed to shut his eyes again and wait for the surprise.

However, when Alec’s alarm went off, Jace still hadn’t showed up. Alec was moving his feet impatiently under the covers by that point, trying to resist the urge to roll around and around. And to think that they could’ve been doing something much more _pleasant_.

Oh well, fuck it. There would be plenty more opportunities for surprises during the day. Getting up, Alec padded all the way towards the living room on bare feet, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.

Jace hadn’t been preparing him breakfast after all, Alec realized with a pang as soon as he saw his boyfriend eating a spoonful of cereals at the kitchen table. That made him freeze on the spot, but when Jace immediately raised his eyes on him, probably having heard him arrive, and smiled warmly, Alec just couldn’t _not_ reciprocate. Who cared about breakfast anyway?

“Morning,” Alec mumbled, reaching the table and sitting opposite from Jace.

“Morning, sunshine,” Jace replied with a teasing grin, “you look _very_ sharp right now.”

Alec stuck his tongue out at him, as he self-consciously ruffled what must’ve been already terrible bed-hair, not even mentioning his stubble, or his puffy eyes. Well, that was just how it was, and Jace would have to live with it. “Why did you get up, anyway?” Alec asked him then, as casually as he could.

Jace shrugged as he swallowed another spoonful. “What do you mean? Work won’t just wait for me, nor you.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Yes, but we could’ve had some _fun_ beforehand, you know?”

Jace’s eyes widened. “What!? I hadn’t thought you would be in the mood! Damn, sorry...”

Alec shook his head fondly, taking one of Jace’s hands in his and starting to caress it softly. “Don’t worry about it.” Alec smirked. “We have all the time to celebrate tonight…”

Jace raised his eyebrows, not suggestively, as Alec would’ve hoped, but rather confused. “Celebrate?”

Alec’s lips were still upturned as he frowned. “Yes? It’s, you know, Valentine’s Day?”

Jace looked at him as if he had suddenly spoken a foreign language, then he snorted loudly. “Oh, _is_ it? I’m glad to say I had completely forgotten about it…but wait, don’t tell me you really want to _celebrate_ it?” Jace seemed ready to start laughing for real.

Alec’s stomach sank, and he quickly covered it with chuckle. “Oh, well, of course not, I just thought, you know, now that we’re…”

“ _C’mon_ , Alec. Since when do you care about this poor excuse of a holiday? It’s all a scam to induce people to buy useless stuff and pass it as _romantic_ , and who the hell needs it?! We _always_ do stuff together, and I romanced you pretty good last night, _didn’t_ I?”

Jace had left his bowl of cereals in the middle of his tirade, in favor of going around the table to reach Alec’s side. A smile playing on his lips, Jace circled Alec’s torso, his face not far away from Alec’s as he wiggled his eyebrows. Heat rising to his cheeks, Alec could only avert his eyes as a snort escaped him, and he was smiling as he pressed a quick kiss to Jace’s lips. “Oh, shut _up_.”

Jace chuckled lightly, but not for long. He cupped Alec’s face, his gaze turning focused and intense all of a sudden, and that was all the warning Alec got before Jace kissed him much more deeply. Oh, _so_ much more deeply. Alec had completely forgotten about their conversation by the time they broke apart, the sugary taste of Jace’s tongue lingering on his. So he couldn’t very well let him get _away_ , could he? Through his daze, Alec grabbed Jace by the hips and drew him back in, his long legs locking him in place. Their mouths were back on each other a moment later, hotly, relentlessly. Needless to say, they both ended up moaning into the kiss, grinding against one another.

“Fuck,” Jace said breathlessly, as one of his hands trailed up Alec’s back from under his shirt. “Now I _really_ regret not staying in bed a bit longer…”

Alec hummed in agreement, his mouth now focusing its attention on the hollow of Jace’s neck. “Well, I guess you’ll have to make it up to me tonight,” he suggested, before leaving a trail of kisses down to Jace’s collarbone, reveling in the way Jace shivered under him. 

Suddenly, however, Jace leaned back, leaving Alec with empty, open arms. “Shit,” Jace said.

Alec had to blink a few times. “What?”

“I have a gig tonight,” Jace admitted, his teeth worrying at his swollen lips. “You know, at the Hunter’s Moon, I booked it ages ago…”

 _On Valentine’s Day?!_ Alec would’ve wanted to shout. But, of course, they had already decided that that didn’t make a difference. “Oh, okay,” Alec managed to say, “another day, then.”

“Are you sure?” Jace seemed even more worried now, as he studied the face that Alec was forcing himself to keep neutral. He probably wasn’t succeeding. “Or do you – do you _really_ care to spend this _particular_ night together? Because if you do, Alec, of course I can postpone, we can organize anything you want, we–”

“No, _no_ , Jace.” Alec got up, walking up to Jace to put his arms around his waist. “You’re right, it _doesn’t_ matter, today’s like any other day. Of course you’ll do your gig, and I’ll be there for you, you know that I love watching you sing. Really, we’ll do something just the two of us any other time.”

Jace tentatively placed his hands on Alec’s chest, his fingers playing with the collar of Alec’s shirt. “Are you… _sure_ sure?”

Alec simply kissed him again, letting their lips move together slowly, unhurriedly, hoping that he was conveying how much Jace meant to him. A reminder never hurt. “I’m _sure_ ,” Alec also added, taking a step back, a smirk appearing on his face as he playfully smacked Jace’s butt. “C’mon, let’s get a move on, or we’ll be late.”

Jace was smiling again, and that was a sight Alec always cherished and preferred to anything else. “Love you,” Jace told him, and that was even better.

“Love you, too.”

It really _was_ okay. Jace was right, who cared about such a stupid ‘holiday’ anyway? Alec didn’t even know why he had given thought to it in the first place; he had never celebrated Valentine’s Day in his _life_. Well, that was because he’d never actually had someone he could, or _wanted_ , to celebrate it with…but that was beside the point. They hadn’t needed it so far to get their relationship going – well, it kind of was their _first_ Valentine’s Day together…but no, it didn’t matter either way – so there was literally no point to it now.

That was what Alec kept telling himself as he sat at his desk in a room full of equally stressed interns, deep at work over a presentation he needed to turn in by the end of the week.

 _Seriously_ , they would have a nice lunch together in a few hours, maybe even sneak in a quickie if they were lucky, then they would have lots of fun that night as Jace performed his new songs. All great.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Alec, I have rehearsals at lunch…is that okay with you?” Jace’s voice sounded concern at the other end of the line.

No reason for it. Jace _could_ have given him a little more heads-up, but…whatever. “Yeah, Jace, don’t worry,” Alec simply answered, his tone craftily neutral. “We’ll see each other directly tonight, okay? I’ve gotta get back to work now. Love you, bye.”

“By–”

Alec ended the call with a distracted motion. It really _was_ fine. They were both two busy, independent people who happened to love each other. No stress, no fuss. They _didn’t_ need to see each other every second of every day.

Alec got back to work with gritted teeth. He was simply in a hurry, that was why he turned the pages very roughly.

And why did people have to keep _bothering_ him, for god’s sake?! His phone was vibrating on his desk again, and Alec’s eyes fell on his sister’s name. He sighed, rising from the desk and going to answer in the hallway.

“Morning, sis,” Alec greeted her. “Is it important? Cause I’m very busy…”

“Oh, are you?!” came Izzy’s very loud, very cheerful voice. Alec frowned at his phone, quickly lowering the volume. “I’m having the _best_ day instead! Didn’t I tell you that Clary and I are at a SPA? We arrived yesterday and we’re coming back tonight.”

“Hi, Alec!” Clary’s voice could be heard from further apart.  

“Hi, Clary,” Alec greeted her too. He started tapping his foot impatiently.

“ _Yes_! Yes, that’s the spot, keep going…” his sister was saying. What the… “Oh, how I needed this, Alec! I’m having the _best_ massage, you wouldn’t believe…”

“Good for you,” Alec told her, forcefully trying to keep his own voice low. Good for his sister, indeed. “Okay, so have fun, now I’ve gotta…”

“And what are you two doing today?” Izzy asked him, still sounding very satisfied with her massage.

“Uhm…nothing, really. Jace has a show tonight at the Hunter’s Moon.”

There was a long pause. When Izzy spoke again, she was a little less eager, and much more curious, “And you’re not doing anything after?”

“Why _should_ we, Iz? C’mon, don’t tell me you care that it’s Valentine’s Day…it’s just a poor excuse of a holiday that forces people to buy useless stuff and pass it as _romantic_! Jace and I don’t need it.”

Another pause. Alec was getting more and more annoyed by the second, as he was sure that Izzy was sharing meaningful _looks_ with her girlfriend. “And does Jace… _agree_ with that?” Izzy put in rather hesitantly.

“ _Yeah_ , that’s – that’s what he said.” Alec cleared his throat, cursing the fact that he suddenly felt nervous.

“Oh.” _Another_ pause. “And are _you_ okay with that?” Alec also wasn’t liking Izzy’s sympathetic tone. 

“Of _course_ I am!” Alec burst out. “Why wouldn’t I be? This is _my_ relationship, we decide things _together_. If I wasn’t okay with something, I would just _say_ it.” His breath was coming very loudly now.

“Alec, are you–”

“ _Yes_ , I’m sure. Now I really need to go, Iz. See you, bye.”

He _really_ didn’t need so many distractions. He needed to _work_ , goddamnit. So he put his phone away and he was finally able to focus on it, his only break when he ate a sandwich at the diner down the street. It was fine, really.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t _completely_ fine. Admittedly, he _was_ a little disappointed that he wouldn’t get to see Jace all day and that they wouldn’t be able to spend much time together at all, while everyone else had such grand plans. But he’ll survive… _they’ll_ survive. He would just have to tell Jace in the future that maybe he _wasn’t_ too opposed to some Valentine’s Day romantic-ness after all. Next year, _he_ would organize something beforehand, so that things didn’t end up like this again.

And the fact that Alec was _sure_ , deep in his heart, that there would be a next year, spoke volume; he had never believed in something more than he believed in his relationship with Jace. He was still amazed that Jace had chosen him, that he _loved_ him…so yes, things were more than good. They were great.

That was why, by the time evening came and he got home to an empty apartment, he had made his peace with it. Jace was most likely already at the bar, doing sound checks and the like, and Alec was really looking forward to cheering for him. So he exited the house freshly showered and, with a smile on his face, he managed to purposefully ignore any heart-shaped object he saw everywhere on his way there.

“Hey, you’re already back?” he said to Izzy and Clary as he joined them at one of the tables.

“Hi, big bro. Yes, we wouldn’t miss the guys’ show for _anything_.”

Izzy sounded as cheerful as ever, and Alec internally took a big sigh of relief that she wasn’t still hung up on his and Jace’s non-Valentine’s Day – at least, not outwardly. Still, now Alec could really hope for a peaceful and fun evening.

He was the one to cheer the loudest, a few drinks in his system taking the edge off, as Jace and his band went up on the little stage. And a warm tingle spread throughout him as he saw Jace winking at him.

“Good evening everyone, thank you so much for coming tonight,” Jace started speaking. “I hope you’re all having a great time, and I know, I _know_ today you’re all high on Valentine’s Day cheer, so I prepared something…a little special.”

Ah, so Jace _had_ known that he was performing on Valentine’s Day. He had prepared something a little _special_. And Alec could _definitely_ swear that Jace had glanced worriedly at him at the end of his last sentence. Alec should not be happy about that, right? He needed to be the bigger person. He had told him it was _okay_ , so Jace shouldn’t have any reason to worry.

_Breathe in, breathe out. It’s okay, Lightwood. Get your shit together and support your boyfriend._

Alec chunked down his beer.

“So here’s the thing,” Jace said, as the band started [playing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTiTvOcfIgI), “I was _trying_ to write a love song, and _damn_ is that hard…because the truth is, I _hate_ love songs. So I hope you won’t mind if I twisted it a little.”

Alec’s fingers were tapping on his glass, and _damn_ did Jace’s words feel like a _knife_ twisting in his gut. Alec couldn’t help but glance at Izzy and Clary, and they were also frowning up at Jace, so it wasn’t just _him_ , right?

And then Jace started singing, _“I hate Shakespeare and Gosling and cakes with white frosting. Two names in a heart-shaped tattoo.”_

Now _that_ was just…unnecessary cruel. Alec could feel that his entire face had stretched wide in shock, which was only the mask of what he was _really_ feeling. Annoyed…offended…hurt. _It’s just superficial stuff_ , he had to keep telling himself, _if he doesn’t like_ that _, it doesn’t mean_ …

 _“I think cupid is stupid, and violets are purple_ not _blue. I hate catching bouquets, the honeymoon phase, and letterman jackets don't fit. Your eyes can't hold stars and you'd die if your heart_ really _skipped.”_

Fuck it. Fuck it! Okay, the song was kinda catchy…still, Alec’s blood was reaching boiling point, his grip on his glass tightening so much that his sister was now sending him actually concerned looks, alternated with constant glares in Jace’s direction. 

_“I hate love songs. Yeah, I really do.”_

Alec was done. He was _really_ done. He couldn’t calm himself down, no matter how hard he tried and tried, and even if he _knew_ that he was being stupid and irrational. It was just a song! And it was not as if Jace was attacking _their_ relationship, or as if Alec didn’t hate clichés just as well! Yet, he needed, he _had_ to get up and go away, otherwise he feared what would happen, what he might do, what–

_“I hate love songs…but I love you.”_

Alec’s entire body froze on the chair, while his head turned so quickly that pain sparked in his neck. Not that he could bring himself to care. Had he just heard…did that just really happ…? An answer was superfluous, because right then Jace looked directly at _him_ with a smile that was both scared and hopeful, and Alec wanted to punch something, or _someone_. Was Jace _really_ just singing him the most preposterous, pretentious, yet weirdly romantic song ever?

“Holy fuck, I’m gonna kill him, I swear,” was said not by Alec, but by Izzy. Alec glanced at her, only to see her clutching her chest as if she had just run a marathon. She noticed Alec’s gaze, and she smiled nonchalantly, which only made Alec more suspicious. Was _something_ going on that he was missing?

 _“I hate pink hearts with glitter and Valentine's dinner, and roses just die in a week,”_ Jace was singing again, and Alec fixed his eyes on him, with admittedly a much more…open mind. _“We were drunk when we met so we don't know our anniversary…woops.”_

Jace _clearly_ looked at Alec this time, so that other people started noticing it too, and now Alec wanted to bang his head on the table, or hide under it. He knew his cheeks were heating up, and his mouth hang open as he still couldn’t take his eyes off Jace and his stupid smile. Jace had really written him a _song_ , and Alec was so going to kill him for putting their relationship under the spotlight like that, when Jace knew he hated attention! Or, okay, fuck it, he’d most likely do something _else_ to Jace.

_“Oh and I'm far too vain to kiss in the rain.”_

_You sure are,_ Alec wanted to shout at him, but he was too busy laughing instead, flooded with the memory of Jace’s yelp and of how he had tried to protect his precious hair when it had started raining on them during one of their first dates.

_“The clouds, they aren't numbered to nine, and you make me feel something, but it sure as hell ain't butterflies.”_

Much of the audience was captivated by that point, laughing or trying to sing along or cheering both Jace and Alec in his seat, while Alec was a gushy, giggling mess, unsuccessfully trying to get himself together. Leaning with an elbow on the table, he was hiding behind his hand, cursing the fact that his sister kept elbowing him teasingly. He’d kill her, too.

_“I hate love songs. Yeah, I really do. I hate love songs, but I love you, ooh yeah. Oh oh, I really do.”_

There, Alec hated that part. Actually, he loved that part the most. Damnit, Jace!

_“And I'll always love you but I don't have to sing it. ‘For worse or for better’ don't rhyme. They say I got the right one so now I should write one, but I'd rather just show you toni-i-ight.”_

Now people were wolf-whistling. Great. Alec dared sneak another glance at Jace, and he wished he hadn’t, because the idiot looked like he wanted to show him right _now_.

Then the last chorus came, repeated a few times, and everyone was singing along how much they hated love songs. Alec was trying to slow his breathing instead, even though it was kind of hard to do so around the big smile that didn’t want to leave his face. And when the song ended, he couldn’t calm down even less, because Jace came down the stage and started _walking_ up to him, the entire bar cheering as the background music.

“Fuck,” Alec whispered helplessly under his breath, his heart beating like crazy in his chest. Actually, it was definitely _skipping_ , and he was surely about to die. Snorting at his own joke, Alec couldn’t help but look at Jace. He was walking slowly, but surely; he looked _purposeful_ like Alec had rarely seen him, except maybe when he had kissed him for the first time. So what did the crowd _matter_? Alec would have all the time to feel embarrassed _after_ , all the thousands of times he would rethink of this moment. Now, he had a boyfriend that was kneeling in front of him, and Alec had to at _least_ try and appear pissed, before he inevitably caved.

As the crowd fell mostly silent, Jace, clearly buzzing with excitement, but also apprehensive, asked in a whisper, “Am I forgiven?”

Alec hummed, his arms crossed, faking to be deep in thought.

But Jace went on, an honestly apologetic tone in his voice, Alec immediately dropped the act, listening intently instead, “Babe, I _really_ hadn’t thought you’d care about this day, nor did I think to ask you.” Alec was already shaking his head, suddenly feeling even more stupid than before, an apology seeming entirely unnecessary at that point. Still, Jace didn’t let that stop him, “So I spent all _day_ writing this song, after Izzy _kindly_ gave me an earful.”

Alec swiftly turned towards his sister, glaring at her as she shrugged and said, “You can thank me later.”

Alec shook his head exasperatedly. “You little…just you wait for _my_ earful.” Then he turned back to Jace. “Jace, no, listen, you really shouldn’t have…”

“No, I did,” Jace interrupted him. “I just, it’s all true, what I said. I don’t care about all this stuff, but I love _you_ , and I don’t ever want you to think otherwise. So I’m sorry, I’m really sorry that I was unthoughtful.”

Alec shook his head again, as a smile reappeared on his face. “Hey, I didn’t think about doing anything either. Really, it doesn’t matter, I don’t even _like_ Valentine’s Day.” Alec’s smile turned into a smirk. “Actually, I _hate_ it, but I _think_ …that I _might_ …love _you_. If you stop singing me songs in front of an entire crowd, that is.”

Laughter echoed in the room, Jace’s included, so Jace was smiling as he got up and leaned down to kiss Alec. “Not a _chance_ , you’re too adorable when you’re embarrassed.” Alec pinched his side, starting to mind the people around them again, but Jace was unrelenting, pressing another kiss against Alec’s lips. “And I love you too, idiot.”

And what could Alec complain about?

**Author's Note:**

> p.s. the 'trying to write a love song but coming up with an anti-love-song love song' story is the original singer's, Kelsea Ballerini, own story about writing this song, and it was so funny that it inspired this fic ;)


End file.
